Circuits with filters and acoustic resonators

ABSTRACT

Circuits with filters and acoustic resonators. In some embodiments, a radio-frequency circuit can include a plurality of nodes and a common node. The radio-frequency circuit can further include a signal path implemented between each of the plurality of nodes and the common node. Each corresponding signal path can include a filter having a first Q-factor value and a respective resonator having a second Q-factor value higher than the first Q-factor value.

CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATION(S)

This application is a continuation of U.S. application Ser. No.15/196,006 filed Jun. 28, 2016, entitled MULTIPLEXERS HAVING HYBRIDCIRCUITS WITH RESONATORS, which claims priority to and the benefit ofthe filing date of U.S. Provisional Application No. 62/186,348 filedJun. 29, 2015, entitled MULTIPLEXERS HAVING HYBRID CIRCUITS WITH SAWRESONATORS, the benefits of the filing dates of which are hereby claimedand the disclosures of which are hereby expressly incorporated byreference herein in their entirety.

BACKGROUND Field

The present disclosure relates to multiplexers for radio-frequency (RF)applications.

Description of the Related Art

In some radio-frequency (RF) applications such as wireless applications,two or more RF signals can be multiplexed together to allow routing ofsuch signals through a common path. Combining of two RF signals istypically referred to as diplexing; combining of three RF signals istypically referred to as triplexing; and so on.

SUMMARY

According to a number of implementations, the present disclosure relatesto a multiplexer for processing radio-frequency signals. The multiplexerincludes a plurality of nodes, a common node, and a signal pathimplemented between each of the plurality of nodes and the common node.Each signal path includes a filter, and each of at least some of thesignal paths further includes a resonator coupled with the correspondingfilter.

In some embodiments, a signal path with the resonator can provide asharper notch profile for a radio-frequency signal than a signal pathwithout the resonator. The plurality of nodes can correspond to aplurality of input nodes, and the common node corresponds to an outputnode. The multiplexer can be, for example, a diplexer such that twoinput nodes are coupled to the common output node through theirrespective signal paths, a triplexer such that three input nodes arecoupled to the common output node through their respective signal paths,or a quadplexer such that four input nodes are coupled to the commonoutput node through their respective signal paths.

In some embodiments, each of the plurality of signal paths can include acorresponding resonator. In some embodiments, at least one signal pathmay not include a resonator. The signal paths having the respectiveresonators are configured to process radio-frequency signals havingfrequencies that are higher than frequencies of one or more signal pathswithout resonators.

In some embodiments, the resonator and the filter can be connected inseries in the corresponding signal path. The resonator can beimplemented upstream of the filter, or downstream of the filter. In someembodiments, the corresponding signal path can further include anadditional resonator. Such filter can be implemented, for example,between the two resonators.

In some embodiments, each resonator can have a Q-factor value that ishigher than the corresponding filter's Q-factor value. In someembodiments, each filter can be a band-pass filter. Each resonator canbe a surface acoustic wave resonator, a bulk acoustic wave resonator, ora resonator having a high Q-factor value.

In some teachings, the present disclosure relates to a method formultiplexing radio-frequency signals. The method includes providing acommon path to receive a plurality of radio-frequency signals, andprocessing the plurality of radio-frequency signals throughcorresponding signal paths such that each radio-frequency signal isfiltered, and such that each of at least some of the radio-frequencysignals is also passed through a resonator.

In some embodiments, a radio-frequency signal that has passed throughthe resonator and the corresponding filter can have a sharper notchprofile than a radio-frequency signal that has passed through only afilter.

In a number of implementations, the present disclosure relates to aradio-frequency module that includes a packaging substrate configured toreceive a plurality of components, and a multiplexer implementedrelative to the packaging substrate. The multiplexer includes aplurality of nodes and a common node, and a signal path implementedbetween each of the plurality of node and the common node. Each signalpath includes a filter, and each of at least some of the signal pathsfurther includes a resonator coupled with the corresponding filter.

In some embodiments, a signal path with the resonator can provide asharper notch profile for a radio-frequency signal than a signal pathwithout the resonator. In some embodiments, the radio-frequency modulecan further include a low-noise amplifier coupled to the multiplexer. Insome embodiments, an input of the low-noise amplifier can be coupled tothe common node of the multiplexer. In some embodiments, the low-noiseamplifier can be a broadband low-noise amplifier. In some embodiments,the low-noise amplifier can be implemented specific to a given signalpath. In some embodiments, the low-noise amplifier can be downstream ofthe filter, or upstream of the filter.

In some embodiments, the radio-frequency module can be, for example, afront-end module or a diversity receive module.

In accordance with some implementations, the present disclosure relatesto a wireless device that includes a receiver configured to processradio-frequency signals, and a radio-frequency module in communicationwith the receiver. The radio-frequency module includes a multiplexerhaving a plurality of nodes and a common node. The multiplexer furtherincludes a signal path implemented between each of the plurality of nodeand the common node. Each signal path includes a filter, and each of atleast some of the signal paths further includes a resonator coupled withthe corresponding filter. The wireless device further includes anantenna in communication with the radio-frequency module, and theantenna is configured to receive the radio-frequency signals.

In some embodiments, a signal path with the resonator can provide asharper notch profile for a radio-frequency signal than a signal pathwithout the resonator.

For purposes of summarizing the disclosure, certain aspects, advantagesand novel features of the inventions have been described herein. It isto be understood that not necessarily all such advantages may beachieved in accordance with any particular embodiment of the invention.Thus, the invention may be embodied or carried out in a manner thatachieves or optimizes one advantage or group of advantages as taughtherein without necessarily achieving other advantages as may be taughtor suggested herein.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

FIG. 1 depicts a radio-frequency (RF) signal path having a hybridcircuit between first and second nodes.

FIG. 2 depicts an RF multiplexer that can include one or more of thehybrid circuits of FIG. 1.

FIG. 3A shows that in some embodiments, the multiplexer of FIG. 2 can bea diplexer.

FIG. 3B shows that in some embodiments, the multiplexer of FIG. 2 can bea triplexer.

FIG. 3C shows that in some embodiments, the multiplexer of FIG. 2 can bea quadplexer.

FIG. 4 shows an example of a triplexer having three signal paths thatcouple respective nodes to a common node.

FIG. 5A shows that in some embodiments, a triplexer similar to theexample of FIG. 4 can be implemented such that the common node iscoupled to an input of a low-noise amplifier (LNA).

FIG. 5B shows that in some embodiments, a triplexer configuration can beimplemented such that an output of each of the three hybrid circuits iscoupled to an input of a corresponding LNA.

FIG. 5C shows that in some embodiments, a triplexer configuration can beimplemented such that an input node of each of the three hybrid circuitscan be coupled to an output of a corresponding LNA.

FIG. 6 shows an example triplexer configuration where a hybrid circuitcan include a band-pass filter and a surface acoustic wave (SAW)resonator arranged such that the SAW resonator is implemented downstreamof the corresponding band-pass filter.

FIG. 7 shows an example triplexer configuration where a hybrid circuitcan include a band-pass filter and a surface acoustic wave (SAW)resonator arranged such that the SAW resonator is implemented upstreamof the corresponding band-pass filter.

FIG. 8 shows an example triplexer configuration where a hybrid circuitcan include a band-pass filter and first and second surface acousticwave (SAW) resonators arranged such that the band-pass filter is betweenthe corresponding first and second SAW resonators.

FIG. 9A shows that in some embodiments, at least one hybrid circuit of amultiplexer can include a resonator-bypass functionality.

FIG. 9B shows that in some embodiments, each hybrid circuit of amultiplexer can include a resonator-bypass functionality.

FIG. 10 shows insertion loss plots for a conventional triplexer whereeach of the three signal paths only has a band-pass filter.

FIG. 11 shows insertion loss plots for the same frequency ranges as inFIG. 10, for a triplexer in which a low-band signal path that only has aband-pass filter; and each of mid-band and high-band signal pathsincludes a hybrid circuit similar to the example of FIG. 7.

FIG. 12 shows isolation plots for the conventional triplexerconfiguration of FIG. 10.

FIG. 13 shows isolation plots for the triplexer configuration of FIG.11.

FIG. 14 shows that in some embodiments, a multiplexer having one or morefeatures as described herein can be implemented in a module.

FIG. 15 depicts an example wireless device having one or moreadvantageous features described herein.

FIG. 16 depicts another example wireless device having one or moreadvantageous features described herein.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF SOME EMBODIMENTS

The headings provided herein, if any, are for convenience only and donot necessarily affect the scope or meaning of the claimed invention.

FIG. 1 depicts a radio-frequency (RF) signal path 110 having a hybridcircuit 112 between first and second nodes A and B. As described herein,such a hybrid circuit 112 can include a combination of one or morefilters and one or more resonators such as surface acoustic wave (SAW)resonators. For the purpose of description, the hybrid circuit 112 canbe referred to as a filter/resonator assembly, a filter/SAW assembly,and the like. As described herein, a plurality of such hybrid circuitscan be implemented to form a multiplexer.

FIG. 2 depicts an RF multiplexer 100 that can include one or more of thehybrid circuits 112 of FIG. 1. Such an RF multiplexer can be configuredto combine a plurality of signal paths, including those associated witha first signal RF_(i) and a second signal RF_(j), into a common pathRF_OUT. For the purpose of description, a signal path and acorresponding signal may be used interchangeably. For example, RF_(i)may be used to refer to the first signal and/or to the path associatedwith that signal, depending on context.

Although various examples are described herein in the foregoing contextwhere a plurality of signals are merged or combined into a common pathby the multiplexer 100, it will be understood that in some embodiments,a multiplexer having one or more features as described herein can alsobe configured to operate in reverse. For example, a common RF signal canbe split into a plurality of signals, and such a configuration canbenefit from one or more features as described herein.

For the purpose of description, it will be understood that multiplexeror multiplexing can involve combining of two or more signal paths into acommon signal path. For example, FIG. 3A shows that a multiplexer can bea diplexer 100 configured to combine two signal paths RF1, RF2 into acommon signal path RF_OUT. FIG. 3B shows that a multiplexer can be atriplexer 100 configured to combine three signal paths RF1, RF2, RF3into a common signal path RF_OUT. FIG. 3C shows that a multiplexer canbe a quadplexer 100 configured to combine four signal paths RF1, RF2,RF3, RF4 into a common signal path RF_OUT. Other numbers of signal pathscan also be configured to be combined into a common signal path.

FIGS. 4-13 show various examples in which multiplexers are triplexers.However, it will be understood that one or more features of the presentdisclosure can also be implemented in other types of multiplexers.

FIG. 4 shows an example of a triplexer 100 having three signal pathsthat couple respective nodes A1, A2, A3 to a common node B. Each signalpath is shown to include a hybrid circuit that includes a filter and aresonator. For example, the first signal path is shown to include afirst hybrid circuit 112 a having a filter and a resonator. Similarly,each of the second and third signal paths 112 b, 112 c is shown toinclude a filter and a resonator.

In the example of FIG. 4, all three signal paths of the triplexer 100are depicted as having their respective hybrid circuits (112 a, 112 b,112 c). However, and as described herein, a multiplexer does notnecessarily need to have hybrid circuits for all of its signal paths.

FIGS. 5A-5C show non-limiting examples where triplexers having one ormore features as described herein can be implemented in downlinkapplications. It will be understood that one or more features of thepresent disclosure can also be implemented in uplink applications. Suchuplink applications can include, for example, routing of RF signalsassociated with one or more power amplifiers (PAs).

FIG. 5A shows that in some embodiments, a triplexer 100 similar to theexample of FIG. 4 can be implemented such that the common node B iscoupled to an input of a low-noise amplifier (LNA) 120. Such an LNA canbe, for example, a broadband LNA configured to amplify received RFsignals in different bands as processed by the three hybrid circuits 112a, 112 b, 112 c.

FIG. 5B shows that in some embodiments, a triplexer configuration 100can be implemented such that an output of each of the three hybridcircuits is coupled to an input of a corresponding LNA. Thus, an outputof the first hybrid circuit 112 a is shown to be coupled to an input ofa first LNA 120 a. Similarly, outputs of the second and third hybridcircuits 112 b, 112 c are shown to be coupled to respective inputs ofsecond and third LNAs 120 b, 120 c. In some embodiments, each of thethree LNAs 120 a, 120 b, 120 c can be a narrowband LNA.

FIG. 5C shows that in some embodiments, a triplexer configuration 100can be implemented such that an input node of each of the three hybridcircuits can be coupled to an output of a corresponding LNA. Thus, aninput of the first hybrid circuit 112 a is shown to be coupled to anoutput of a first LNA 120 a. Similarly, inputs of the second and thirdhybrid circuits 112 b, 112 c are shown to be coupled to respectiveoutputs of second and third LNAs 120 b, 120 c.

In the example of FIG. 5C, inputs of the LNAs 120 a, 120 b, 120 c can becoupled to a common input node through their respective upstream filters122 a, 122 b, 122 c. Also in FIG. 5C, the outputs of the hybrid circuits112 a, 112 b, 112 c can be coupled to a common node.

It will be understood that triplexers having one or more features asdescribed herein can also be implemented in other configurations.

FIGS. 6-8 show examples where a hybrid circuit can include a band-passfilter and a surface acoustic wave (SAW) resonator. In the example ofFIG. 6, a triplexer 100 is shown to include three hybrid circuits 112 a,112 b, 112 c that couple their respective input nodes A1, A2, A3 to acommon node B. Each of the three hybrid circuits 112 a, 112 b, 112 c isshown to be configured such that a SAW resonator is implementeddownstream of the corresponding band-pass filter. Accordingly, a SAWresonator 116 a is shown to be downstream of a band-pass filter 114 a inthe first hybrid circuit 112 a. Similarly, in the second and thirdhybrid circuits 112 b, 112 c, SAW resonators 116 b, 116 c are shown tobe downstream of their respective band-pass filters 114 b, 114 c.

In the example of FIG. 7, a triplexer 100 is shown to include threehybrid circuits 112 a, 112 b, 112 c that couple their respective inputnodes A1, A2, A3 to a common node B. Each of the three hybrid circuits112 a, 112 b, 112 c is shown to be configured such that a SAW resonatoris implemented upstream of the corresponding band-pass filter.Accordingly, a SAW resonator 116 a is shown to be upstream of aband-pass filter 114 a in the first hybrid circuit 112 a. Similarly, inthe second and third hybrid circuits 112 b, 112 c, SAW resonators 116 b,116 c are shown to be upstream of their respective band-pass filters 114b, 114 c.

In the example of FIG. 8, a triplexer 100 is shown to include threehybrid circuits 112 a, 112 b, 112 c that couple their respective inputnodes A1, A2, A3 to a common node B. Each of the three hybrid circuits112 a, 112 b, 112 c is shown to be configured such that a first SAWresonator is implemented upstream of the corresponding band-pass filter,and a second SAW resonator is implemented downstream of the sameband-pass filter. Accordingly, a SAW resonator 116 a is shown to beupstream of a band-pass filter 114 a, and a SAW resonator 118 a is shownto be downstream of the band-pass filter 114 a in the first hybridcircuit 112 a. Similarly, in the second and third hybrid circuits 112 b,112 c, SAW resonators 116 b, 116 c are shown to be upstream of theirrespective band-pass filters 114 b, 114 c, and SAW resonators 118 b, 118c are shown to be downstream of the same band-pass filters 114 b, 114 c.

It will be understood that other combinations of one or more filters andone or more SAW resonators can be implemented for a given hybridcircuit. It will also be understood that for a given multiplexer, hybridcircuits may or may not be configured similarly among each other. Forexample, one hybrid circuit can have a SAW resonator upstream of afilter, while another hybrid circuit in the same multiplexer has a SAWresonator downstream of a filter. It will also be understood that notall of the signal paths in a multiplexer necessarily need to have hybridcircuits. For example, one or more signal paths in a given multiplexercan include respective hybrid circuit(s), while one or more signal pathsin the same multiplexer does/do not have such hybrid circuitfunctionality.

FIGS. 9A and 9B show that in some embodiments, some or all of one ormore hybrid circuits in a multiplexer can include a functionality wherecorresponding resonator(s) can be implemented in a switchable manner.For the purpose of description, the examples of FIGS. 9A and 9B are inthe context of a triplexer having three hybrid circuits, and each hybridcircuit is assumed to include a band-pass filter and a SAW resonator.However, it will be understood that as described herein, otherconfigurations of hybrid circuits can also utilize one or more switches,and that such switchable resonator functionality can be implemented inother types of multiplexers.

In the example of FIG. 9A, three hybrid circuits 112 a, 112 b, 112 c arearranged similarly to the example of FIG. 7 in terms of their respectiveband-pass filters and SAW resonators. However, one of the three hybridcircuits (e.g., the hybrid circuit 112 a) is shown to include a switchS1 implemented parallel with the SAW resonator 116 a. Accordingly, whenthe band-pass filter plus SAW resonator functionality is desired for thehybrid circuit 112 a, the switch S1 can be opened. If such band-passfilter plus SAW resonator functionality is not needed or desired, theswitch S1 can be closed such that the SAW resonator 116 a issubstantially bypassed by an RF signal.

In the example of FIG. 9B, three hybrid circuits 112 a, 112 b, 112 c arealso arranged similarly to the example of FIG. 7 in terms of theirrespective band-pass filters and SAW resonators. However, each of thethree hybrid circuits is shown to include a switch implemented parallelwith the corresponding SAW resonator. Accordingly, when the band-passfilter plus SAW resonator functionality is desired for the hybridcircuit 112 a, the switch S1 can be opened. If such band-pass filterplus SAW resonator functionality is not needed or desired, the switch S1can be closed such that the SAW resonator 116 a is substantiallybypassed by an RF signal. Similarly, when the band-pass filter plus SAWresonator functionality is desired for the hybrid circuit 112 b, theswitch S2 can be opened. If such band-pass filter plus SAW resonatorfunctionality is not needed or desired, the switch S2 can be closed suchthat the SAW resonator 116 b is substantially bypassed by an RF signal.Similarly, when the band-pass filter plus SAW resonator functionality isdesired for the hybrid circuit 112 c, the switch S3 can be opened. Ifsuch band-pass filter plus SAW resonator functionality is not needed ordesired, the switch S3 can be closed such that the SAW resonator 116 cis substantially bypassed by an RF signal.

FIG. 10 shows insertion loss plots for a conventional triplexer whereeach of the three signal paths only has a band-pass filter. Theband-pass filter of the first signal path is configured as a low-band(LB) filter, the band-pass filter of the second signal path isconfigured as a mid-band (MB) filter, and the band-pass filter of thethird signal path is configured as a high-band (HB) filter. Accordingly,the three insertion loss plots are indicated as LB (left), MB (middle),and HB (right) in FIG. 10.

FIG. 11 shows insertion loss plots for the same LB, MB and HB frequencyranges as in FIG. 10. In the example of FIG. 11, a triplexer includes aLB signal path that only has a band-pass filter; and each of MB and HBsignal paths includes a hybrid circuit similar to the example of FIG. 7(where a SAW resonator is implemented upstream of a band-pass filter).In FIG. 11, the three insertion loss plots resulting from such aconfiguration are indicated as LB (left), MB (middle), and HB (right).

In each of FIGS. 10 and 11, an example reference insertion loss level isindicated at approximately 1.5 dB. As for the insertion loss plots inthe LB range, they are generally the same in FIGS. 10 and 11 asexpected, since the LB paths in both triplexers are configured the same.

As for the MB and HB results, one can see that the triplexercorresponding to FIG. 11 has significantly better insertion lossperformance than the triplexer corresponding to FIG. 10. Further, banddefinitions in FIG. 11 are significantly better than the counterparts inFIG. 10. For example, the upper edge of MB and the close lower edge ofHB are better separated and defined in FIG. 11 than in FIG. 10.

FIG. 12 shows isolation plots for the conventional triplexerconfiguration of FIG. 10, for the same LB, MB and HB frequency ranges.FIG. 13 shows isolation plots for the triplexer configuration of FIG.11, for the same LB, MB and HB frequency ranges. Referring to FIGS. 12and 13, an example reference isolation level is indicated for each ofthe three example bands. One can see that the triplexer corresponding toFIG. 13 has improved isolation performance when compared to thetriplexer corresponding to FIG. 12.

In the various examples described herein, it will be understood that afilter such as a band-pass filter can be, for example, lumped componentsbased, transmission-line based, cavity based, or any combinationthereof. It will also be understood that while various resonators aredescribed in the context of SAW resonators, other types of resonatorscan also be utilized. For example, resonators such as bulk acoustic wave(BAW) resonators or thin-film bulk acoustic resonators (FBAR or TFBAR)can be utilized. In another example, resonator devices and/or circuits(acoustic wave based or not) having high Q-factors can also be utilized.In some embodiments, a resonator (SAW or otherwise) as described hereincan have a higher Q-factor value than a corresponding filter.

Examples of Wireless Applications:

Among others, a multiplexer having one or more features as describedherein can be utilized in multi-band carrier aggregation (CA) associatedwith, for example, LTE (Long-Term Evolution) communication technology.In such an application, relatively narrow frequency spacing between someof aggregated bands can result in challenges in meeting isolation andinsertion loss performance levels. To address such challenges, specialfilters can be implemented. However, such special filters are typicallycostly, and can also introduce excessive losses to signals beingprocessed.

In some embodiments, a multiplexer such as a triplexer having one ormore features as described herein can be implemented in a front-endmodule (FEM). Such a front-end module can reduce or eliminate the needfor the foregoing special filters to facilitate the multi-band CAfunctionality with acceptable performance levels. Multiplexers havingone or more features as described herein can provide, for example,better defined notches (e.g., including sharper roll-off) to therebyprovide improved isolation between adjacent frequency bands. As alsodescribed herein, lower pass band insertion loss can also be realizedwith a multiplexer having one or more hybrid circuits.

Examples of Products Having One or More Features as Described Herein:

FIG. 14 shows that in some embodiments, a multiplexer having one or morefeatures as described herein can be implemented in a module 300. Such amodule can be, for example, a front-end module described above. In someembodiments, such a module can include a packaging substrate 302 such asa laminate substrate or a ceramic substrate. The module 300 can includeone or more LNAs 304 implemented on the packaging substrate 302. Themodule 300 can further include a multiplexer 100 having one or morefeatures as described herein.

In some embodiments, the module of FIG. 14 can be configured as adiversity receive (DRx) module. An example of how such a DRx module canbe implemented in a wireless device is described herein.

In some embodiments, a multiplexer having one or more features asdescribed herein can be implemented in a module that may or may notinclude LNA(s), but in which filtering functionality is utilized. Such amodule can include, for example, a power amplifier (PA) module or anymodule in which a plurality of RF signal paths are configured fordifferent frequency bands.

In some implementations, an architecture, device and/or circuit havingone or more features described herein can be included in an RF devicesuch as a wireless device. Such an architecture, device and/or circuitcan be implemented directly in the wireless device, in one or moremodular forms as described herein, or in some combination thereof. Insome embodiments, such a wireless device can include, for example, acellular phone, a smart-phone, a hand-held wireless device with orwithout phone functionality, a wireless tablet, a wireless router, awireless access point, a wireless base station, etc. Although describedin the context of wireless devices, it will be understood that one ormore features of the present disclosure can also be implemented in otherRF systems such as base stations.

FIG. 15 depicts an example wireless device 400 having one or moreadvantageous features described herein. In some embodiments, suchadvantageous features can be implemented in a front-end (FE) module oran LNA module 300. In some embodiments, such a module can include moreor less components than as indicated by the dashed box.

Power amplifiers (PAs) in a PA module 412 can receive their respectiveRF signals from a transceiver 410 that can be configured and operated togenerate RF signals to be amplified and transmitted, and to processreceived signals. The transceiver 410 is shown to interact with abaseband sub-system 408 that is configured to provide conversion betweendata and/or voice signals suitable for a user and RF signals suitablefor the transceiver 410. The transceiver 410 is also shown to beconnected to a power management component 406 that is configured tomanage power for the operation of the wireless device 400. Such powermanagement can also control operations of the baseband sub-system 408and other components of the wireless device 400.

The baseband sub-system 408 is shown to be connected to a user interface402 to facilitate various input and output of voice and/or data providedto and received from the user. The baseband sub-system 408 can also beconnected to a memory 404 that is configured to store data and/orinstructions to facilitate the operation of the wireless device, and/orto provide storage of information for the user.

In the example wireless device 400, the module 300 can include amultiplexer 100 configured to provide one or more functionalities asdescribed herein. Such a multiplexer can facilitate processing ofsignals received through an antenna 420 and an antenna switch module(ASM) 414. Amplified and multiplexed signals from the multiplexer 100are shown to be routed to the transceiver 410.

FIG. 16 shows another example of a wireless device 500 in which one ormore features of the present disclosure can be implemented in adiversity receive (DRx) module 300. In such a wireless device,components such as user interface 502, memory 504, power management 506,baseband sub-system 508, transceiver 510, power amplifier (PA) 512,antenna switch module (ASM) 514, and antenna 520 can be generallysimilar to the examples of FIG. 15.

In some embodiments, the DRx module 300 can be implemented between oneor more diversity antennas (e.g., diversity antenna 530) and the ASM514. Such a configuration can allow an RF signal received through thediversity antenna 530 to be processed (in some embodiments, includingamplification by an LNA) with little or no loss of and/or little or noaddition of noise to the RF signal from the diversity antenna 530. Suchprocessed signal from the DRx module 300 can then be routed to the ASMthrough one or more signal paths 532 which can be relatively lossy.

In the example of FIG. 16, the RF signal from the DRx module 300 can berouted through the ASM 514 to the transceiver 510 through one or morereceive (Rx) paths. Some or all of such Rx paths can include theirrespective LNA(s). In some embodiments, the RF signal from the DRxmodule 300 may or may not be further amplified with such LNA(s).

A number of other wireless device configurations can utilize one or morefeatures described herein. For example, a wireless device does not needto be a multi-band device. In another example, a wireless device caninclude additional antennas such as diversity antenna, and additionalconnectivity features such as Wi-Fi, Bluetooth, and GPS.

One or more features of the present disclosure can be implemented withvarious cellular frequency bands as described herein. Examples of suchbands are listed in Table 1. It will be understood that at least some ofthe bands can be divided into sub-bands. It will also be understood thatone or more features of the present disclosure can be implemented withfrequency ranges that do not have designations such as the examples ofTable 1.

TABLE 1 Tx Frequency Range Rx Frequency Range Band Mode (MHz) (MHz) B1FDD 1,920-1,980 2,110-2,170 B2 FDD 1,850-1,910 1,930-1,990 B3 FDD1,710-1,785 1,805-1,880 B4 FDD 1,710-1,755 2,110-2,155 B5 FDD 824-849869-894 B6 FDD 830-840 875-885 B7 FDD 2,500-2,570 2,620-2,690 B8 FDD880-915 925-960 B9 FDD 1,749.9-1,784.9 1,844.9-1,879.9 B10 FDD1,710-1,770 2,110-2,170 B11 FDD 1,427.9-1,447.9 1,475.9-1,495.9 B12 FDD699-716 729-746 B13 FDD 777-787 746-756 B14 FDD 788-798 758-768 B15 FDD1,900-1,920 2,600-2,620 B16 FDD 2,010-2,025 2,585-2,600 B17 FDD 704-716734-746 B18 FDD 815-830 860-875 B19 FDD 830-845 875-890 B20 FDD 832-862791-821 B21 FDD 1,447.9-1,462.9 1,495.9-1,510.9 B22 FDD 3,410-3,4903,510-3,590 B23 FDD 2,000-2,020 2,180-2,200 B24 FDD 1,626.5-1,660.51,525-1,559 B25 FDD 1,850-1,915 1,930-1,995 B26 FDD 814-849 859-894 B27FDD 807-824 852-869 B28 FDD 703-748 758-803 B29 FDD N/A 716-728 B30 FDD2,305-2,315 2,350-2,360 B31 FDD 452.5-457.5 462.5-467.5 B33 TDD1,900-1,920 1,900-1,920 B34 TDD 2,010-2,025 2,010-2,025 B35 TDD1,850-1,910 1,850-1,910 B36 TDD 1,930-1,990 1,930-1,990 B37 TDD1,910-1,930 1,910-1,930 B38 TDD 2,570-2,620 2,570-2,620 B39 TDD1,880-1,920 1,880-1,920 B40 TDD 2,300-2,400 2,300-2,400 B41 TDD2,496-2,690 2,496-2,690 B42 TDD 3,400-3,600 3,400-3,600 B43 TDD3,600-3,800 3,600-3,800 B44 TDD 703-803 703-803

General Comments:

Unless the context clearly requires otherwise, throughout thedescription and the claims, the words “comprise,” “comprising,” and thelike are to be construed in an inclusive sense, as opposed to anexclusive or exhaustive sense; that is to say, in the sense of“including, but not limited to.” The word “coupled”, as generally usedherein, refers to two or more elements that may be either directlyconnected, or connected by way of one or more intermediate elements.Additionally, the words “herein,” “above,” “below,” and words of similarimport, when used in this application, shall refer to this applicationas a whole and not to any particular portions of this application. Wherethe context permits, words in the above Detailed Description using thesingular or plural number may also include the plural or singular numberrespectively. The word “or” in reference to a list of two or more items,that word covers all of the following interpretations of the word: anyof the items in the list, all of the items in the list, and anycombination of the items in the list.

The above detailed description of embodiments of the invention is notintended to be exhaustive or to limit the invention to the precise formdisclosed above. While specific embodiments of, and examples for, theinvention are described above for illustrative purposes, variousequivalent modifications are possible within the scope of the invention,as those skilled in the relevant art will recognize. For example, whileprocesses or blocks are presented in a given order, alternativeembodiments may perform routines having steps, or employ systems havingblocks, in a different order, and some processes or blocks may bedeleted, moved, added, subdivided, combined, and/or modified. Each ofthese processes or blocks may be implemented in a variety of differentways. Also, while processes or blocks are at times shown as beingperformed in series, these processes or blocks may instead be performedin parallel, or may be performed at different times.

The teachings of the invention provided herein can be applied to othersystems, not necessarily the system described above. The elements andacts of the various embodiments described above can be combined toprovide further embodiments.

While some embodiments of the inventions have been described, theseembodiments have been presented by way of example only, and are notintended to limit the scope of the disclosure. Indeed, the novel methodsand systems described herein may be embodied in a variety of otherforms; furthermore, various omissions, substitutions and changes in theform of the methods and systems described herein may be made withoutdeparting from the spirit of the disclosure. The accompanying claims andtheir equivalents are intended to cover such forms or modifications aswould fall within the scope and spirit of the disclosure.

What is claimed is:
 1. A radio-frequency circuit comprising: a pluralityof nodes; a common node; and a signal path implemented between each ofthe plurality of nodes and the common node, each corresponding signalpath including a filter having a first Q-factor value and a respectiveresonator having a second Q-factor value higher than the first Q-factorvalue.
 2. The radio-frequency circuit of claim 1 wherein the pluralityof corresponding signal paths are configured to support carrieraggregation of respective signals through the common node.
 3. Theradio-frequency circuit of claim 1 wherein the plurality of nodescorrespond to a plurality of input nodes, and the common nodecorresponds to an output node.
 4. The radio-frequency circuit of claim 1wherein the radio-frequency circuit is configured as a multiplexer. 5.The radio-frequency circuit of claim 4 wherein the multiplexer is adiplexer, a triplexer, or a quadplexer.
 6. The radio-frequency circuitof claim 1 wherein each of the plurality of signal paths includes acorresponding resonator.
 7. The radio-frequency circuit of claim 1wherein at least one signal path does not include a resonator.
 8. Theradio-frequency circuit of claim 1 wherein the resonator and the filterare connected in series in the corresponding signal path.
 9. Theradio-frequency circuit of claim 8 wherein the resonator is implementedupstream of the filter.
 10. The radio-frequency circuit of claim 8wherein the resonator is implemented downstream of the filter.
 11. Theradio-frequency circuit of claim 1 wherein each filter is a non-acousticfilter.
 12. The radio-frequency circuit of claim 11 wherein eachresonator is an acoustic wave resonator.
 13. The radio-frequency circuitof claim 12 wherein the acoustic wave resonator is a surface acousticwave (SAW) resonator or a bulk acoustic wave (BAW) resonator.
 14. Amethod for processing radio-frequency signals, the method comprising:providing a signal through a path between each of a plurality of nodesand a common node; and for each signal in the respective path, passingthe signal through a filter along the path, and passing the signalthrough a filter along the path, the filter having a first Q-factorvalue and the resonator having a second Q-factor value higher than thefirst Q-factor value.
 15. The method of claim 14 wherein the passing ofthe signal through the filter occurs prior to the passing of the signalthrough the respective resonator.
 16. The method of claim 14 wherein thepassing of the signal through the filter occurs after the passing of thesignal through the respective resonator.
 17. A packaged modulecomprising: a packaging substrate configured to receive a plurality ofcomponents; and a radio-frequency circuit implemented on the packagingsubstrate and including a plurality of nodes, a common node, and asignal path implemented between each of the plurality of nodes and thecommon node, each corresponding signal path including a filter having afirst Q-factor value and a respective resonator having a second Q-factorvalue higher than the first Q-factor value.
 18. The packaged module ofclaim 17 further comprising one or more low-noise amplifiers coupled tothe radio-frequency circuit such that the radio-frequency circuitsupports carrier aggregation of received signals.
 19. The packagedmodule of claim 18 wherein the one or more low-noise amplifiers includesa broadband low-noise amplifier having an input coupled to the commonnode of the radio-frequency circuit.
 20. The packaged module of claim 18wherein the one or more low-noise amplifiers includes a narrowbandlow-noise amplifier implemented along each signal path.